This project studied the epidemiologic viability of using an injury surveillance system to track outpatient adverse drug events (ADEs) treated in hospital emergency departments. The authors found that the system could play a useful role in helping to understand outpatient ADEs, identifying areas for research, and monitoring ADE prevention.

Medication misadventures leading to emergency department visits have been described, particularly in older adults. Similar studies in the ambulatory setting also indicate a significant burden from adverse drug events (ADEs) in the adult population. This study analyzed more than 158,000 pediatric patient visits to an emergency department where treatment was rendered for an ADE. Unintentional overdoses, allergic reactions, and adverse effects were the most common ADE types encountered, with antimicrobial agents, analgesic medications, and respiratory medications most frequently implicated. The authors conclude that many ADEs in this patient population are preventable and that strategies should be explored to address their findings, such as targeted measures to prevent unintentional overdoses in toddlers.

Adverse drug events are a common cause of emergency department visits in children and adults, but it is unclear how accurately emergency physicians identify medication errors as a cause of a patient's presenting symptoms. In this study, emergency department patients were evaluated by a clinical pharmacist for a possible drug-related cause of their presentation, and the pharmacists' assessment was compared to that of the treating emergency physician. Agreement was only moderate, implying that physician diagnoses may actually underestimate the true incidence of medication error–related emergency department visits.